You’ve seen them in a variety of stores starting around Thanksgiving, showing off their gorgeous blooms. They make great houseplants and are perfect for beginning gardeners and experienced ones alike. If you’re looking for a plant that is easy to care for and produces beautiful flowers, then you need a Schlumbergera(or two!) in your home.
Scientific Name: Schlumbergera Buckleyi
Common Names: Christmas Cactus, Thanksgiving Cactus, Easter Cactus, Crab Cactus and Claw Cactus
Schlumbergera Buckleyi or Christmas Cactus, are often confused with the Thanksgiving Cactus (Schlumbergera Truncata). They are actually both cultivars of schlumbergera, rather than two different species. Cultivars are plants that have been bred specifically by people, rather than growing naturally without human intervention.
Description
This plant is originally from the tropical regions of South America, and it typically grows in humid forest habitats. It’s sometimes called Christmas Cactus because it generally blooms around Christmas time. When grown as a houseplant it can grow up to two feet tall, and it can spread up to about three feet wide.
The plant has thick, fleshy leaves that are pointy and oval-shaped. The leaves are typically green, but they can also be red, purple, or brown. The trumpet shaped flowers bloom in clusters and come in a variety of colors, including pink, red, purple, cream, peach and white.
Schlumbergera Buckleyi are long lived plants. With good care, they can live to be 100 years old!
Best Environment to Grow Schlumbergera Buckleyi
Light
Your schlumbergera buckleyi will do best in bright, indirect light. Although it can adapt to low light and a lot of people like to tuck them into darker corners, it will give you the best blooms if kept in bright indirect light. You will need to avoid direct sun, since too much light can burn your plant. Remember it is a tropical plant and naturally grows in shade and dappled sunlight.
In order to get your plants to flower, they will need at least 12 hours of darkness. This is easy enough in the winter when the days are naturally shorter. If your plant lives in a room that has lots of artificial lot most of the night, you can cover your plant with a paper bag or a cardboard box.
Temperature
From April to September during peak growing time, the ideal temperature range for your schlumbergera is from 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. When the plant begins to bud, it likes cooler night time temperatures of around 55 – 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
Avoid putting your plant in drafty areas or in the path of heat registers or air conditioner vents.
Water
Even though this plant is commonly called a cactus, it doesn’t mean you can skimp on the water. Remember, in nature this plant grows naturally in the tropics. It is not a desert plant nor can you treat it like one. You need to make sure your plant gets plenty of water. For best results, keep the potting medium moist. Avoid letting the plant dry out completely.
To avoid root rot, which can potentially kill your plant, do not let it sit in water.
Soil
Since schlumbergera are epiphytes, technically they do not need to be in soil. Epiphytes are plants that grow on other plants but are not parasitic. This versatile plant can live happily in a well draining general purpose potting soil or cactus mix, perlite or sand. A good mix is roughly 60% potting soil and 40% perlite or sand.
Whatever you decide to use, make sure it drains well. Remember, you must never let your plant sit in water.
Fertilizer
For best results use a well balanced, weak water soluble fertilize twice monthly during the growing season from April to September. Remember more is not necessarily better. Follow the instructions on the package and do not overfeed..
Propagating Your Schlumbergera
It’s easy to propagate your own schlumbergera buckleyi at home. First, choose a healthy section of the mother plant. For best results, the section you choose, should have at least two or three segments. Gently twist off the section from the mother plant.
Let the section sit out for 3 to 7 days so that a callus forms on the end that was attached to the plant. Gently plant the section in a pot filled with the same type of potting medium that you use for the mother plant.
Generally it takes about a month for your new schlumbergera to form roots. Now you have a brand new plant!
